“Well, you’ve done a crappy job of showing it lately.”

Violet gasped, probably as surprised as I was by my bluntness. “I know. I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I think my guilt has been consuming me. That and jealousy.”

“Guilt over what? Mike?”

She hesitated. “In a way, yes.”

I sat up straighter. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, Rose. I’m a terrible, terrible person. I’m afraid you’ll never forgive me, but I feel like I have to tell you.”

My heart started to race. I knew she had a secret. How many awful secrets could there be? “I love you, Violet. You’re my sister. Nothing’s ever going to change it.”

I heard her take a deep breath. “Do you remember the day before we opened the shop, how you asked me what people were saying about you?”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t answer.”

“They were saying you inherited all of Momma’s money, and I didn’t get a dime. They were saying you were rich, and that you were making me work at the nursery for free.”

I sank back into the cushions. “I already knew that, Vi. Mason and Neely Kate told me.”

“They did?”

“Yeah…so, see? There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not all there is to the story.”

“What else is there?” I asked tentatively.

“Some people confronted me with it, offering their condolences on how horrible you were being.” She hesitated. “I didn’t correct them.”

I let her words sink in. “You let them think I was treating you horribly?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Why?” I didn’t know whether to be hurt or angry, so I latched onto both. “Why would you do that to me, Violet?”

“So people wouldn’t notice what I was doing.” Her voice was so quiet I could barely hear her.

My heart jolted again. “What were you doing?”

“I’ve been having an affair with Brody MacIntosh.”

I’d guessed it, but to hear her confirm it still felt like a punch in the stomach.

“Say something,” she whispered.

“How long has it been going on?” Maybe she thought going out with someone while you were separated counted as having an affair.

“Since April.”

“Oh, God.”

“I’m sorry.” She started to cry.

“You and Brody were both still married then. Mike didn’t leave until July.”

“I know.”

I took several deep breaths. “I don’t understand. You just started dating Brody last week.”

“No, we’ve been seeing each other at least twice a week since May. We just decided to start publicly dating last week.”

Of all the people in the world I’d thought capable of an affair, Violet was the last in line.

“Say something.”

A million questions ran through my head, but I had to pick one. “Do you love him?” That was stupid question. On Sunday, it had been obvious that she did.

“Yes, I love him.” She paused. “But Mike found out that we’re seeing each other and came over tonight to accuse me of having an affair.” She hiccupped through her tears. “I denied it. I know I should have told him the truth, but he threatened to take the kids. He said he’d sue for full custody.”

“Can he do that?”

“It happened to Sue Ellen Lewinski just last month.”

“Oh, Violet.” What a mess. “What are you going to do?”

“I told Brody I can’t see him for a while. Not until things die down. I can’t lose my kids, Rose.” She broke down again.

“I know. Everything will be okay.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch lately.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to know the sad part?”

“What?” I asked.

“Brody asked me to marry him about an hour before Mike came over.”

I wanted to cry. How ironic that both Gardner sisters had been proposed to on the same night. How ironic that both proposals were so bittersweet. “I’m sorry. Give it time. It will all work out.”

“I was just so jealous that you and Joe were able to date out in the open. You’re so happy and it just felt so unfair. I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

I had been happy…right up until a week ago. How quickly things changed. “I forgive you, Vi. Now go hug your kids and get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When I hung up, I stared at the ring on my finger for several minutes. Joe had proposed, and I was wearing the ring, but I hadn’t really given him an answer yet. Was I going to say yes?

If he had asked me two days ago, I would have in a heartbeat. Now I was hesitating. The question was why.

I could give a million reasons for why I should marry him and part of me wanted to rush headlong into it, but I’d seen so many people run blindly into marriage, only to pay the price further down the road. I didn’t want to be Violet and Mike, fighting over the custody of our kids.

Maybe instead of looking at the reasons I should get married, I should look at reasons not to.

I grabbed a piece of paper and put a magazine behind it as I laid back in the cushions and wrote Why I Shouldn’t Marry Joe:

1. He snores

2. He leaves his shaving cream gunk in the sink.